MI17
Mi-17 is a multirole helicoptor of the Soviet design, designated specifically for export market. Its designation within the Soviet/Russian service is Mi-8M and NATO reporting name is "Hip". It is capable of various roles transportation of troops, supplies and equipment to the battlefield. Other roles include air-to-surface attack, medical evacuation, airborne command post, refuelling, mine laying, and search and rescue. In OF:DR, it is mostly used as an unarmed transport helicoptor by the PLA regular soldiers and SpecOps, appearing in many missions and inserting enemy soliders . Known Variants Currently there are two known variants of Mi-17 within the game, the unarmed transport version and the gunship version. *Transport variant As the most common version within the game, the transport variant appears in many missions, inserting enemy reinforcements into battlefield. If you manage to find one parked on the ground or disable one already in the air with gunfire, the player can actually fly the helicoptor as well. It has no armament and can carry a pilot (who pilots the helicoptor), a co-pilot (commander with all-around vision from the cockpit, able to issue commands such as Move and Hover or Move and Land), and 19 passengers (who sit in the cabin part). Though it is unarmed, its ability to quickly deploy a squad-strengh force is formidable and can put the player or friendly forces into a very dangerous situation. *Gunship variant (aka Mi-17a) So far it's only appearance is in the mission 10: Decaitation. It is one of the gunships circling the mission area. If you look though the NighOp thermal scope, you'll see the familiar round fuselage of the transport variant with weapon racks on each side. You can disable the gunship in the air with gunfire, and with some luck, it crashes to the ground without exploding if you do so at a low altitude. This variant can carry a pilot (who is also the gunner, able to fire rockets for attack), a co-pilot (can also direct fire and assign targets to be engaged by the pilot/gunner), and 19 passengers. It packs HF25 rocket pods with whooping 132 rockets on the weapon racks, same rockets used on the WZ-10 attack helicoptor. It lacks the maneuverability and the armor of a true attack helicoptor and a lack of gun can give it wide blind spots; however with that many rockets it is a force to be reckoned with. Design Both the unarmed variant and the gunship variant share the same flight charactoristics. It is one of the larger helicoptors in the game, with slower acceleration and poor maneuverability. It seems to take more punishment until it is disabled compared to other helicoptors and it can absorb a fair amount of small arms fire though anything bigger than an infantry rifle can quickly bring it down to the ground. Countermeasure If you hear an incoming Mi-17, it is recommended that you try to shoot it down as quicky as possible before it unloads the troops carried inside. Use your man-portable SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) if you have one. Helicoptor in a landing approach is a prime target of opportunity as it slows to a crawl, try to hit it with a rocket launcher or a grenade launcher. If you use a HEAT rocket, it is usually one-shot kill. Other rounds such as a HEF rocket or a HEDP grenade might take one or two shots and may only disable the helicoptor instead of destroying it completely with its occupants. Concentrated gunfire can also bring the helicoptor down, try using emplaced heavy machine guns or MGs on various jeeps. You can also fire your rifle and order your teammates to engage a low flying helicotors. If you lead the target and aim well, 2-3 magazines+teammates' firepower can bring down a helicoptor. Keep in mind that if you only manage to disable the helicoptor at a low altitude, chances are the helicoptor lands without exploding and troops may still come out of the surviving helicoptor. Trivia *Regardless of variants, AI Mi-17s have only one pilot (no co-pilot) Category:Vehicles